Pokémon Nuzlocke Novels: Ancient Scarlet
Chapter 16: Getting Crabby with Titan Klawf
"Osu! Say hello to your battle instructor! The one! The only! The hot-blooded Dendra!"
A crowd of students in the Naranja Academy courtyard stood before a grinning woman with black hair and bright orange eyes. Longtime students knew that Ms. Dendra wore a tracksuit at all times and never seemed to run out of energy. Milo fought back a yawn at how early he was up right now, but the Battle Studies course was typically done first thing in the morning.
The Galarian teen was once again surprised by the eccentricity of the staff at the prestigious academy that Milo called his home away from home. But he also heard of Ms. Dendra's reputation as a fierce and skilled Pokémon Trainer who had been recruited by the school personally by Director Clavell.
According to Nemona, Dendra was a niece of the world-famous Karate Master Koichi back in Saffron City in the Kanto region. The Battle Studies instructor had moved to Alfornada as a child and had grown up in Paldea, but Dendra still embodied many of the teachings from her beloved uncle back home. Word on the street was that she and the Gym Leader of Alfornada, Tulip, were best friends to this day.
"Osu is a karate thing, by the way. Look it up!" Dendra seemingly dared the class, only to sweat-drop when several students pulled out their phones to do just that. "I didn't mean right now!"
Milo was able to maintain a neutral expression, but Arven (who happened to be standing nearby) openly snickered. After the class put away their cell phones, and confirming that osu was indeed a karate thing, Dendra continued.
"Now, to start off, I'm going to answer any questions from you all that you have for me!" Dendra called out, causing several hands to go into the air.
"How old are you ma'am?"
"My age? 25!"
"Do you have any hobbies?"
"My hobby? Working out!"
"What's the best battle you've had?"
"Against my uncle! Or if that doesn't count, against Tulip!"
"What's your type, ma'am?"
The entire class went dead-silent at that question, asked by a smirking Nalani. The Alolan teen also seemed to have genuinely caught the instructor off-guard, because Dendra looked completely baffled by the question.
"My…m-my type?! Well…" Dendra trailed off, a faint blush on her face before she shook her head, offering a wide grin. "Strong and muscular Fighting-types, of course!"
"That was a good save. I wonder what her actual answer is." Milo wondered aloud, but quietly. Arven chuckled softly at that, but the duo listened intently as Dendra went on.
"That's all for my introductions! As for my class, this is where you all get to learn the nitty-gritty of Pokémon battling!" Dendra said as she punched the air with a laugh. "We'll start with the basics so that no Trainer gets left in the dust! Even if you're new to this stuff, have no fear! Leave it to me and my muscles, and you'll be pros in no time!"
"Let's set out fighting spirits ablaze - together!" Dendra cried out, causing the class to let out a chorus of cheers. Dendra pumped her fists with an enthusiastic smile, feeding off of the student's excitement.
"Pokémon have all kinds of attack moves at their disposal, and each move has certain qualities that you'll want to remember!" Dendra said as she bobbed up and down, with her Medicham nodding sagely beside her.
"I'm talking about power, type, and category of these moves!" Dendra continued, finally calming down enough to stand still. "Higher power means more damage - especially if your opponent is weak to that move's type!"
The Battle Studies instructor then glanced over through the crowd before locking eyes with Milo, who winced. "Heads up, new kid! Question coming your way! There are two categories that attack moves can fall under. Know what they are?"
Milo nodded at the question. He had discussed these things at length with Nemona even before he went off to battle Katy. "Physical moves and special moves, ma'am."
Dendra was delighted by the answer, because she gave Milo a wide smile of pride that actually made him smile back at the instructor. "Awesome! You're just as sharp as I expected, new kid! Looks like you have a handle on the basics!"
The woman turned to the crowd of students and continued her lecture. "Anyway, attack moves are split into two categories - physical and special! Physical moves do more damage the higher the Pokémon's Attack stat is! And special moves do more damage the higher the Pokémon's Special Attack stat is!"
"Special moves include things like Ember, Charge Beam, Bubble and Energy Ball. Physical moves are stuff like Mega Punch, Blaze Kick and Headbutt! There's also physical and special moves that make contact with their opponent that you've got to watch out for!" Dendra went on as she shrugged her shoulders. "That's why studying moves can be so important. If you're really looking to study up on it, then I recommend looking out for Professor Kukui's lectures online. They're super interesting and he's got loads to say on the topic!"
"On the other side of things, Pokémon getting hit by these moves can take less damage by having a high Defense or Special Defense stat, respectively!" Dendra then shut her eyes, remaining silent for about ten long seconds before her eyes snapped open again. Her expression was oddly serious.
"In conclusion! Pokémon that are good with physical moves should raise their attack stat! And Pokémon that are good with special moves should raise their Special Attack stat!" Dendra boomed enthusiastically, pumping her arms. "Trying to raise both of these stats will just make it hard for the Pokémon to shine in battle!"
Dendra nodded, chuckling softly before beaming at the students. "Make your strong points stronger, I always say - that goes for both people and Pokémon!"
It was at that point that the end of period bell went off, causing Dendra to deflate slightly. "Aw, man! I was just about to suggest we do some hands-on practice to really drive the point home, but I guess we're out of time…"
The Battle Studies instructor shook her head, her usual cheer returning. "We'll generally meet for my class here in the schoolyard - even for book learning! Nothing like a little fresh air to make studying more fun, am I right?"
Several students alongside Milo nodded, with him joining them. "But class is over for now! Take care, you little rascals!"
"I'm shocked to see you came to class today, mate." Milo said to Arven as the older student fell into step alongside him, with the upperclassman smirking as they entered the school. Nalani caught up with the two boys and cracked a grin as Milo offered her a silent fist bump before she went down another hallway.
"Well, sometimes it pays to attend class every now and then. Refreshers on battling are something I kinda need, since it's been a minute. Juliana's been helping me train up Munchy and Barbossa this past week too." Arven explained, shrugging his shoulders. "Besides, we planned to find the Stony Cliff Titan today, right? Only made sense for me to come by school personally so we can head out together."
"You think you're ready to really start trying to find that Titan?" Milo asked Arven, who nodded firmly.
Truth be told, Arven had already been more than ready to fight for the Herba Mystica. It had only been Milo's caution that had kept him from rushing into a fight on his own.
Now Arven had an extra partner and some extra training, thanks to Milo and Juliana, and he realized that this had only improved his chances of success. Plus he had Milo watching his back as they explored the area where the Titan surely lurked. There was no way they could lose!
"We'll be eating delicious sandwiches in no time." Arven assured Milo, who laughed quietly at the ridiculous statement. He still had doubts about Arven's true motivations, but at this point the older student had earned his trust. He'd help out his friend and clear another Objective so that Milo could escape the deadly game he was playing.
It was later in the afternoon when Milo and Arven arrived at Mesagoza's eastern gate. After going through the massive door, Milo was greeted with the view of crags, mountains, plateaus and treacherous terrain.
It all looked considerably more formidable than the open plains that had been outside the western gate. Milo did appreciate that there were swaths of bright green grass and trees despite the rugged area, with plenty of Pokémon swarming around who seemed to be flourishing.
"I know you don't like her, but Nemona was right about doing the Cortondo Gym before this Titan. If I went east first with my team before getting some more experience and tried to help you out first, I'd probably have a really rough time." Milo remarked as he adjusted his backpack and wiped his brow with his hand.
Arven grunted at that, but chose not to comment. Instead he looked up and smiled at the clear skies, grateful for the luck. "Good weather today. And I checked the weather forecast for the week too, and we'll have a few days of sunny weather before we get some rough storms later."
"And we both packed enough stuff to make sure we're ready for that too." Milo remarked with a grin, double-checking the Poké Balls clipped to his belt. He was forced to forgo using Echo the Toxel and Fleur the Steenee, so he would be using five Pokémon for this adventure instead of a full party. Thankfully Arven hadn't commented on this, as he was too focused on finding their target.
Milo checked his map app on the Rotom Phone and found that the distance between where they were now and where Arven estimated the Titan to be at was roughly the same distance Milo had initially traveled from Mesagoza to Cortondo. However, the two of them would be going over much harsher terrain. The heat of the afternoon sun beat down on them and seemed to bounce off of the rocks around them.
"Well, we're not getting any closer by standing around. Let's get a move on!" Arven said as he began to stride forward, with Milo following close behind.
What followed was a fairly rough four-day long hike through the rugged path. There were plenty of different Pokémon that Milo and Arven spotted along the way, including Rookidee, much to Milo's delight. Along the path were Makuhita, Shinx, and a strange rock-like Pokémon that Milo learned was a Nacli.
Evenings were spent huddled on the path, where Arven happily gave Milo pointers for flourishing in such a harsh environment. He pointed out which plants were safe to eat for both humans and Pokémon as well as advice for what to do if he found himself hurt along the way. He even made note of which Pokémon would be friendly enough towards humans to be willing to assist him if it became necessary.
When the duo had finally reached the location in question on their fifth day out, they found…nothing out of the ordinary. Just more paths, caves and cliffs.
That hardly deterred the two teens, however, and the hunt was officially on. Over the course of the next few days Milo and Arven furiously searched around for the Stony Cliff Titan. However, it simply could not be found.
Arven finally started feeling discouraged about finding the Titan as night fell on the ninth day. Worst still was that any travelers passing by, when asked about the Titans, chided the two teens for chasing after fairy tales. Some hadn't even heard of the Titans. It was disheartening to see that in this venture, the duo were truly on their own.
As morning came on the tenth day, Milo and Arven ate an MRE each for breakfast (Milo got the ever-popular Chili Mac while Arven enjoyed his Beef Stew). The two teens had already fed their Pokémon and returned them to their balls, and so the two students ate their meal in silence as they brainstormed on what to do next. Finally, as Milo finished drinking his water and put his trash back into the bag that the meal had come in, an idea came to him.
"Why the hell are MRE's easier on my stomach than Smoliv Garden!?" Milo wondered angrily, reflecting on what the restaurant had done to him previously.
That was when another, more relevant thought came to him, and he looked over at a sullen Arven.
"Maybe we're going about this the wrong way." Milo remarked as he leaned against the rock.
"What do you mean?" Arven asked, confusion on his face.
"Well, right now the two of us are traveling together and are covering the same amount of space. This thing could be moving or doing something that makes it harder for us to find it. Who knows, right?" Milo said to his friend, who listened intently. "Maybe we should both go different ways and see if that speeds things up?"
"Good idea! If one of us finds or sees any signs of the Stony Cliff Titan, we send a ping of our location so that the other person can come and check it out. That's using your noggin, little buddy!" Arven laughed as he got to his feet, with Milo doing the same. The taller teen clapped Milo on the shoulder before calling out Munchy, having the Skwovet ride on his shoulder. "Text me every few hours, and we'll meet up later, alright?"
Unfortunately for Milo, he had about as much luck as before, even after calling out Koraidon so that he could cover more ground. He suspected at this point that either the Titan was camouflaged so well that no one could find it, or that it was moving around and they kept missing it somehow.
After about five hours had passed, Milo was about ready to throw in the towel. He was sweaty, tired and annoyed at the constant searching and was really wishing he had access to some air-conditioning. Milo then became annoyed at his own internal whining and got back to searching for the Stony Cliff Titan.
Shhh. Be vewy, vewy quiet, Milo's hunting Titans.
Milo was about to say something rude to the Voice and it's very accurate Elmer Fudd impression when his Rotom Phone suddenly started ringing. The teen stopped Koraidon so that he could answer the phone, ignoring the laughter in his head. Upon seeing that it was Arven calling, Milo accepted the call.
"Hey, Milo! So, from what I can gather, the Stony Cliff Titan likes to lurk somewhere in this rocky area. I had a look around, but I couldn't find any trace of it all afternoon!" Arven grumbled from the other end of the call. "Maybe I got some bad information."
"I haven't had any luck either. You'd think a Titan Pokémon would be easier to spot." Milo remarked, leaning back in his seat while Koraidon eyed some nearby Skiddo hungrily.
"Maybe it's way up high on a cliff or something?" Arven suggested, and Milo took a few moments to consider that. "...Nah, that's impossible! I don't think it'd be hiding somewhere that tricky, so don't go falling off any cliffs or anything trying to search it out somewhere too strange."
"I'll keep that in mind. That cliff idea isn't bad though. Maybe some elevation is what I need." Milo replied, considering the issue. He figured this thing had to be around this area. Maybe it was hiding on a cliff.
"You think so?" Arven asked, sounding thoughtful.
"Or maybe it's camouflaging itself? Some Pokémon are good at blending in." Milo remarked, thinking back to some of the Pokémon he knew off back home that did that. Galarian Stunfisk in particular liked disguising themselves to catch their prey. Maybe the Titan did something similar. "Honestly, I'm just happy there's a path here. It's so easy to get lost in this canyon."
"Maybe just give your map app a look if you're feeling stumped or get lost? It's pretty handy! Either way, I'll contact you a little later to check in! Bye!" Arven then hung up the line, leaving Milo to his own devices. The teen continued to travel along the route with Koraidon, leaping across the rock spires and charging down the canyons trying to track down the elusive beast, but to no avail.
Around mid-afternoon, Milo healed back up at the Pokémon Center and took a break. His skin was starting to show signs of sunburn despite the copious amounts of sunscreen he was slathering on his skin. He wished he could find a nice cave to hide in for a while, but Milo promised Arven that he would help in any way he could.
Koraidon carried Milo further down the path, with Milo keeping an eye out for another out of the ordinary. About an hour up the road, he finally spotted something new. Several large rock crabs that were scuttling around the path. Milo pulled out his Rotom Dex to see what they were.
"Klawf. The Ambush Pokémon. Klawf hangs upside-down from cliffs, waiting for prey. But Klawf can't remain in this position for long because its blood rushes to its head." Milo listened to the entry and considered that. It was somewhat odd that these Klawf were just moving around the main road.
"Oh. I ate one of those once on my first day in Mesagoza! Or at least a claw." Milo remembered, grinning at the memory of his first lunch with his Pokémon team. Milo sent out Cocoa and directed her to battle the trio of Klawf that were eyeing her warily. The Wooper soundly crushed all three Klawf with ease, which Milo made note of as he returned her.
"They're probably pure Rock-type. Good to know." Milo thought as he veered from the path, heading down on a slope where he spotted several Shinx, Gogoat, Growlithe and more Klawf. As Milo glanced around the area, a strange feeling of unease settled over him.
"Why do I feel like I'm being watched?" Milo muttered as he glanced around the area. Koraidon growled softly, catching Milo's attention and causing him to look ahead.
"What's up bud? Do you see…something…weird?" Milo trailed off, looking at the massive boulder jutting out of the cliff high above him. If he had been passing by and not directly looking at it from about thirty feet away, Milo would've passed it off as just part of the scenery.
But the boulder looked weird. It had weird tufts of what Milo thought were bushes growing high up on the cliffside, but were actually black bristles that resembled fur. And then the boulder shifted slightly. On a whim, Milo pulled out his phone and moved Koraidon closer to the large boulder. He then aimed his Rotom Phone at the cliff with a concerned frown…
…and the Pokédex App identified the large boulder as a Klawf.
Milo felt a chill roll down his spine as two eyes snapped open on the boulder, and with a rumble two eyestalks emerged from its face to glare at Milo before it scuttled up along the cliff. Milo gaped at the size of the monstrosity before him, but quickly snapped himself out of his daze and sent Arven a text of his coordinates.
"Come on, Koraidon! Let's get 'em!" Milo urged his mount, with the beast letting out a growl as he bounded forward. Koraidon leapt over several small Klawf and a pack of Shinx before spotting a side path that looped around the cliff. Koraidon quickly scaled the path, growling softly as Milo readied himself for whatever was about to happen. Finally the path ended and led to a large cliff where Milo had seen that the big boulder, or rather the giant Klawf, had stopped.
As Milo approached, the huge crab's eyes suddenly twitched and locked onto Milo. With a soft grunt the enormous Klawf suddenly launched itself off of the side of the cliff and high into the air.
Koraidon reacted quickly, leaping back and putting another fifteen feet of distance between themselves and the Klawf as it slammed down onto the ground with tremendous force, sending up a downpour of rock shards that landed right where they had been mere moments before.
"Glaaaw!" the Stony Cliff Titan bellowed furiously, raising its claws into the air as Milo braced himself for a battle. Milo hopped off of Koraidon and then gasped, clutching his chest as a searing pressure struck his heart, with the Voice chuckling as the Nuzlocke Curse took effect. Milo grimaced and shook off the pain, but the pressure remained.
He grabbed one of the balls off of his belt before pausing and then reaching for another, only for Milo's hand to suddenly sear with a sharp pain as black static crackled around the Poké Ball. Milo stared at the sphere and reached for it again, only for an even worse blast of raw agony to sear through his entire arm and force a scream out of his throat.
"What the hell's going on!?" Milo thought frantically as he looked down at his hand, which was trembling violently. The Voice spoke up, its tone almost mocking.
One Pokémon at a time. This is a battle, kid.
"Against that behemoth!? Are you insane!?" Milo practically screamed with equal amounts of fury and fear.
Probably? Anyways, I wouldn't try that a third time unless you feel like losing your hand. It'll be bloody, too.
"W-w-w-what?" Milo hissed, his entire body trembling with raw terror. The Voice sighed with irritation, as if annoyed Milo had pushed the issue.
Try that again and you'll lose your hand. I'm not kidding.
"Screw you! This is ridiculous-" Milo angrily shot back before realizing that enormous Klawf wasn't going to wait around for Milo to make the first move.
The Stony Cliff Titan let out a roar of fury, raising one of its massive claws into the air to attack Milo. The boy froze in horror, paralyzed by fear as Klawf prepared to strike him down. A red blur raced past Milo and crouched down protectively in front of the boy, glaring up at the behemoth about to attack.
"Giiiaas!" Koraidon snarled at the massive Klawf, who seemed to hesitate as its eyes flicked to the intimidating Pokémon. Koraidon may not have been able to fight, but it was definitely able to look scary enough to give even the Stony Cliff Titan pause. The beast took several steps back, hissing furiously at Koraidon with a challenging glare.
This gave Milo a moment to snap back to reality, and he quickly considered who he was going to send out. "Reggie, Cocoa, Storm, Shelly and Fiona…well that's a no-brainer." Milo thought before drawing a Poké Ball and preparing himself for battle.
"Cocoa, let's go!" Milo shouted as he tossed forth the Poké Ball, sending out the Paldean Wooper in a flash of light. Cocoa looked up at the enormous Klawf as its attention went to Milo. The Stony Cliff Titan let out a low and terrible rumble, shaking the cliffs with its anger. Cocoa continued to smile up at the massive crab, not even being remotely phased by its anger.
"Let's roll the dice…" Milo muttered quietly, hoping against hope that he could overcome the odds. His little Pokémon taking down such a massive beast looked impossible on paper. But that was exactly why Milo had spent the past several weeks buckling down on his studies.
"Cocoa! Let's hit this sucker with everything we've got! Terastallize!" Milo shouted as he pulled out the Tera Orb, pressing down on the trigger as the student held the device high. A whirlwind of swirling light was sucked into the ball before it was primed, signaled by a flash of light.
Milo hurled the ball and it exploded above Cocoa, showering the Paldean Wooper in Terastal Energy and causing several brown crystals to erupt from the ground before shattering revealing the Ground-type Tera Wooper, a Tera Crown shaped like half of a world globe on its head.
"Wooopa!" Cocoa cried out, smiling up at the furious and enormous crab that towered above them. Titan Klawf roared back in response, and Cocoa lowered her head slightly as she prepared for battle. Milo took a few steps as his mask fell into place, adopting an expression of firm calm despite the fear he felt beneath.
"Let's do this. Use Mud-Slap, Cocoa!" Milo shouted as his Wooper leapt into action, dashing towards the enormous crab. Titan Klawf narrowed its eyes and growled deeply, pulling back its now-glowing right claw before thrusting it towards Cocoa as it opened dangerously. The Wooper tried to dodge by jumping over the attack, but she was a second too slow and the attack connected.
"That's Vise Grip!" Milo realized as Cocoa went flying through the air with a cry of pain. To his surprise, the Paldean Wooper landed onto the ground and rolled a few times before flinging a blast of mud right into the face of Titan Klawf, bolstered by the Ground Tera Crown atop Cocoa's head.
A furious bellow of pain rocked the canyon as Klawf violently jerked backwards, swinging a claw wildly and striking the side of the cliff. The partially-blinded Titan ended up ripping out a chunk of the wall, hissing as it shook its head back and forth to dispel the mud as a faint blue glow enveloped it for several moments. Milo exhaled softly as he adjusted his hat, thinking quickly as to what his next move was.
"Mud Slap weakens the accuracy of the opponent with each hit. If I can score enough hits, this thing won't be able to touch us unless it gets really lucky. Plus with Cocoa Terastallized, each shot is doing a lot of damage, even if Mud Slap is a pretty weak attack." Milo thought to himself, considering his approach. He had two other moves in his back pocket for this battle just in case.
His train of thought was completely broken when his Rotom Phone started ringing loudly, completely snapping him out of the battle. Cocoa glanced back at him with a confused look while Titan Klawf continued to stumble around.
"Wait what!? Really? Of all times!" Milo shouted as his phone flew out of his pocket on its own and a familiar question mark showed up on his phone, colored in a rainbow outline.
Cassiopeia spoke in their usual distorted voice, seemingly oblivious to the noise of Klawf rampaging in the background. "Good afternoon, Milo. It's been quite some time since we had a chat, and I was wondering if we could talk."
"What the hell do you want!? I've got big crab problems and I don't have time for this!" Milo shouted as Titan Klawf groaned loudly before swiping a claw where Cocoa was, only for the Wooper to nimbly leap back to dodge it.
"...They make a special shampoo for that, I hear."
The Voice burst into laughter at that while Milo's face burned crimson in embarrassment as he realized what he had actually said. Despite himself, took his attention off of the battle to glare at his phone. "NOT THOSE KIND OF CRABS, YOU BLOODY MORON!"
"Oooh, someone's getting crabby." Cassiopeia chuckled with amusement, causing Milo's eyes to twitch with pure fury and indignation. "So about Team Star. I've noticed you've made no headway against them, and I was curious as to why."
"Because I'm kinda dealing with other things! Can you call me back later!?" Milo shouted at the phone, with Cassiopeia sighing into the phone.
"I'd rather not. What's so important that we can't have a five-minute conversation?" Cassiopeia asked, with Milo glaring at the phone and tapping the video call button. "Yeah, that's not happening. You-"
"I'm literally fighting one of the Titans! It's a massive goddamn Klawf!" Milo bellowed as he grabbed the phone and aimed his camera right at the Klawf, which was still trying to hit Cocoa as she ducked under several repeated swipes from the beast's claws.
"Holy shit! It's a giant enemy crab!" Cassiopeia's voice distortion made it hard to tell, but they sounded genuinely horrified. "Kill it with fire!"
Milo grabbed the phone and angrily hung up on them before pointing at the Titan. "Use Mud-Slap again, Cocoa!"
The Paldean Wooper nodded, only to be surprised when Titan Klawf let out a bellow of raw fury as it raised its claws into the air. To Milo's horror, they both started glowing bright orange before Klawf stepped forward and slammed them into the ground where Cocoa was. The Paldean Wooper was knocked to the ground as she cried out in pain from the Rock Smash.
"Cocoa! Come on, get back up!" Milo called to the Wooper, who slowly rose again. "There we go! Mud Slap again!"
"Woopa!" Cocoa responded, leaping forward and launching another wave of mud that struck the Titan, causing it to roar in agony as it staggered backwards. Its entire body glowed faintly blue again, signifying that Mud Slap had reduced Klawf's accuracy again. Suddenly Klawf glowed a harsh red color and the Rotom Phone beeped in Milo's pocket. The teen quickly pulled it out and saw that Klawf's ability, Anger Shell, had activated due to Klawf taking a considerable amount of damage.
Thanks to Anger Shell, Titan Klawf's Defense and Special Defense had dropped, but its Attack, Special Attack and Speed stats had been boosted. It was at that point Milo then realized something. This Ability only activated when a Klawf was low on health.
"Those two attacks did a lot more damage to it than they should have…" Milo muttered to himself as he considered the possibilities. He was forced to abandon the thought when Klawf snarled angrily.
Milo then noticed that his Wooper was in the middle of eating a blue berry, and Milo glanced back at his backpack on a whim and realized that it was open. The teen then looked back at his Pokémon as she finished gobbling down her snack, looking considerably more energized.
"An Oran Berry! You snuck one out of my bag?" Milo asked as the Wooper quickly gobbled down the berry. It turned around to face Titan Klawf as the massive beast attempted to wipe the mud out of its face, but having giant claws instead of hands made that pretty hard. Instead its eyes and cheeks glowed bright red, and a red shimmer of energy washed over Cocoa and himself, but nothing else seemed to happen.
"Alright, let's see if we can't make use of that Defense drop from its own ability. Hit it with a Low Kick!" Milo shouted confidently as Cocoa charged at the Titan, who was still trying to clear the mud off of its face.
It was even more surprised when Cocoa spun around, her left leg glowing white before connecting with one of Titan Klawf's legs. A deafening crunching sound reverberated through the canyon as a crack run down the side of the Stony Cliff Titan's leg.
Titan Klawf suddenly pitched forward with a surprised yelp and crashed into the ground face-first, completely losing its balance due to the power of its own weight being used against it. The huge crab twitched for a few moments, groaning in pain from the super-effective attack.
"Yes! That's my girl!" Milo grinned with triumph. His extra training with Nemona was paying off. Cocoa had an extremely useful move set when dealing with a single powerful opponent, and it was showing. And thanks to the type-advantage, she was dealing plenty of damage to her much-larger opponent.
"Woopa!" Cocoa responded with a merry grin, and with that her Terastallization effect ended, as did the Nuzlocke Curse's hold on Milo as the pressure was released. He quickly pulled out a Super Potion and applied it to Cocoa's injuries, restoring her to full health.
To their collective surprise, Titan Klawf suddenly jerked back to consciousness and slowly rose, hissing in pain before its eyes went to where Milo, Koraidon and Cocoa were still standing. Its eyes narrowed with fury, murderous intent radiating off of the massive crab.
"We didn't want a fight, but we're ready for more!" Milo called to the Stony Cliff Titan, with Koraidon and Cocoa crying out in agreement. Klawf hissed softly…and then took a single step back.
The enormous crab quickly turned around and scuttled away, leaping off of the cliff. Milo growled, clenching his fists in indignation.
"Oh no you don't! We're not done with you!" Milo shouted as he returned Cocoa and hopped atop Koraidon, who growled an affirmative and charged towards the edge of the cliff that Klawf had jumped off of. Milo grit his teeth as Koraidon leapt over the edge and into the air.
With a jolt of surprise Milo realized that the Titan hadn't gone very far, and was actually right beneath them. Thankfully Koraidon cleared the behemoth and landed on the ground without issue, spinning around so that it and Milo could face the massive beast.
"Why are you running? Are you scared!?" Milo called to the massive crab, who stared at the student for a moment before growling softly and turning around. With a swift motion, its right pincer darted forward and smashed the cliff apart, causing Milo to have to cover his face as rocks and debris exploded into the air. Koraidon snarled at the display, crouching low on the ground as Milo grunted at the rocks, dirt and dust billowing past him.
When Milo was able to see again, he saw that Titan Klawf had reached into what seemed to be a small cave within the cliff. With a small hiss, it pulled its claw free of the cave and was now holding a glowing pinkish-purple pink plant of some kind. It then began to slowly eat the plant, and that's when it clicked for Milo.
"The Herba Mystica! It's real! And that thing is eating it!" Milo realized with a tinge of horror, wondering how this would affect the Titan Pokémon. He quickly pulled out his Rotom Phone and snagged a few pictures of the beast, making sure he had proof of both the Titan's existence and of the Herba Mystica. He was also sure to get a selfie as well, but mostly because he wanted a picture for himself.
"Milo! You found it?! And you're taking selfies? What the hell?" The Galarian turned around and saw that Arven had finally joined him, looking both relieved and horrified at what was standing before them. "And THAT thing's the Stony Cliff Titan?! No Klawf has got any business being that big!"
"Don't judge me, I like taking pictures. Besides, we've got a bigger problem. Klawf just ate the Herba Mystica." Milo pointed out, with Arven paling as he noticed that the Titan had indeed finished its mid-battle snack. Milo then blinked as he heard the nearby rumble of thunder and looked towards the skies. Gray clouds were directly overhead, and he could already see a curtain of rain slowly making its way towards them. The storm that had been lurking in the distance was nearly here.
"Is it gonna be even stronger now, after eating those herbs…?" Arven murmured, his hand drifting towards a Poké Ball as Milo unclipped one of his own, looking back towards the giant crab.
"Knowing our luck? Probably." Milo muttered too quietly for Arven to hear, earning a laugh from the Voice.
"Let's watch ourselves, Milo!" Arven warned the freshman as Titan Klawf's body twitched several times, as if it was shuddering. It then launched itself high into the air and spun around, landing with a powerful crash onto the ground facing the two Trainers. Milo gasped as the Nuzlocke Curse struck for a second time, ensnaring his heart.
That was when Titan Klawf let out a powerful roar, with an enormous pillar of purple-colored energy that resembled a tower of flames erupting from the beast. Both Arven and Milo grunted as they were almost blasted to the ground by the strength of the backlash.
Milo opened his eyes and watched as Titan Klawf's injuries from their previous battle were healed before his eyes, and the beast somehow seemed even more formidable now than before. Energy seemed to roll off of the creature in wisps, pink threads of raw power that had now infused the Stony Cliff Titan with renewed vigor. Milo sent out Cocoa again, and Arven sent out Barbossa the Shellder. The two Pokémon seemed so laughably weak compared to the enormous Titan.
Did they really stand a chance?
Milo's eyes widened as he heard a soft ding come from his bag. Milo pulled it off and looked inside, and with an awed look pulled out his Tera Orb. His fully recharged Tera Orb.
"That wave of energy…it recharged my Tera Orb!" Milo realized as he held it in the palm of his hand before grabbing it tightly. He looked up at the mighty Titan with a fierce grin as a rush of hope surged through the teen.
Milo should've been terrified, facing something so terrifying. But facing the odds in a battle for your life somehow had his adrenaline pumping. He felt…alive. Just as much as he had battling Katy during his last Gym Battle, Milo wanted to win.
"Come on, Cocoa! Let's take this sucker down! Terastallize!" Milo shouted as he primed the Tera Orb and threw it forward once again, transforming his Wooper into a Ground-type Tera Wooper.
As the battle began, Titan Klawf looked at Milo and Cocoa with an intense expression, narrowing its eyes. Its eyes flashed red again, and Milo and Cocoa both felt another cold wave of energy ripple through them. Even worse, Milo noticed that the Poké Balls on his belt were now glowing red.
"It did this move before…What does that mean?" Milo said aloud, completely confused.
"Milo, that was Block! You can't swap out Pokémon!" Arven shouted worriedly, realizing that his friend was now forced to keep just his Wooper in battle. Milo had realized that Klawf was even using a move before, but even though he now understood that, Milo wasn't troubled. Even if it did mean that he couldn't recall Cocoa if she got into any trouble.
"I don't need to swap Pokémon. Cocoa's got this!" Milo called back as his Tera Wooper looked back at her Trainer, nodding in agreement before facing the enormous Titan with a glint of determination in her eyes. There was no way she was going to let her Trainer down now.
"Well, this is looking a little rough! Barbossa, let's serve up a helping of defeat - on the half-shell!" Arven shouted before pointing a finger at the Stony Cliff Titan. "Hit 'em with a Water Gun!"
"Sheeell!" Barbossa cried out as it fired off a pressurized stream of water, hitting Titan Klawf directly between the eyes. The massive crab recoiled in pain, letting out a hiss as it shrank back from the super-effective shot.
Arven smirked and made a small finger-gun gesture. "How's that for sharpshooting?"
"Cocoa, let's back him up! Mud-Slap!" Milo called as Cocoa let out a cry, focusing on the Terastal Energy coursing through her. As a pulse of energy erupted from the earth-like Tera Crown atop her head, she lashed out at Titan Klawf with another wave of mud.
The Stony Cliff Titan roared loud enough for the cry to reach Mesagoza, incensed as more mud got into its eyes. Milo grinned at the slight blue pulse that emitted from the beast like before, showing that its Accuracy stat had taken a hit. That smile didn't last much longer when Klawf hissed and fixed its gaze directly on Milo.
With another furious groan, it snatched up several fallen boulders and used Rock Throw, missing Cocoa but causing her Trainer to throw himself to the ground as the beast actively tried to attack him.
"This thing is out for blood!" Milo realized with a horrified wince as Klawf let out another terrible rumble of anger. "Maybe it's starting to take all the Mud-Slaps a little personally…"
"Oh no you don't!" Arven growled as he picked up Barbossa. "Let's get him!"
"Shell shell!" Barbossa agreed, looking rather angry at the cowardly attack from the bigger Pokémon. Klawf continued to throw rocks at Milo as Cocoa tried to blast them out of the sky with Mud Shot, a move Milo had been holding off on using until now. And while it was holding the rocks at bay for now, Cocoa wouldn't be able to hold them off forever.
"Stop pelting me with rocks, asshole!" Milo shouted as he got to his feet, his face still utterly calm despite the horror of nearly getting crushed to death by a shower of boulders. Titan Klawf groaned in response, drawing back a claw and taking several steps forward. Titan Klawf then snarled as another burst of water struck it from behind. However, the water suddenly darted left and right, completely soaking the backside of the creature.
The Stony Cliff Titan's eyes swiveled to see Arven sprinting across the open area, holding out Barbossa and allowing the Shellder to hit more parts of the Klawf as Arven ran.
"Keep up the pressure!" Arven ordered Barbossa as Titan Klawf held up its claws, attempting to shield its vulnerable face from the attack. Klawf began to slowly move towards Arven and Barbossa, causing the older student to pale in horror, only for a familiar shout to cut through the air.
"Low Kick, Cocoa!"
The Stony Cliff Titan suddenly roared in agony, nearly dropping to the ground as a gleaming Wooper violently kicked the back of one of Klawf's back legs, causing it lose its balance. Arven grinned at Milo, who grinned right back at his friend.
Arven and Milo then winced as they suddenly felt several cold droplets hit them, and within moments they found themselves in a downpour of rain. Despite the rainfall, Milo was able to see that Klawf was glowing even more erratically than before, and after quickly checking his phone (and thanking Arceus that his Rotom Phone was water-proof) he saw that Anger Shell had activated again.
"Arven, watch out for its Ability! Anger Shell just activated, so its attacking stats went up! Plus it's a lot faster, but its defenses both dropped!" Milo called to Arven, who nodded in understanding. An irate hiss caught Arven's attention, and he glanced back at Klawf to see that its eyes and cheeks were glowing red. Arven and Barbossa both felt a cold chill roll over them as the other Poké Ball at his waist gleamed red.
"Ah! It got us with Block!" Arven grunted, annoyed that he couldn't switch to Munchy even if he wanted too. "Well, no way we're backing down! Barbossa, get him with another Water Gun!" Arven instructed his Shellder as he held out the Bivalve Pokémon, who fired off another blast of water that struck the Klawf in the mouth.
Thanks to the power boost from the rain, the stream of water was now a torrent, physically knocking back Klawf and forcing it away from Arven. Klawf threw its claws into the air, snapping them threateningly as it snarled in fury. It slammed its forward claws in frustration, preventing Cocoa from getting closer while forcing Arven to suddenly leap to the side to avoid it, performing a dodge roll like something out of an action movie.
"Come on, we're so close!" Milo muttered quietly, seeing the mounting damage that the Titan Pokémon was suffering. However, Arven and Milo had gotten very lucky so far. Klawf was clearly beyond furious at the two of them and it was still a wild Pokémon, meaning it had no qualms about attacking the Trainers. It had already done so by targeting Milo himself.
Meanwhile, oblivious to Milo, a certain draconic mount watched the battle with mounting irritation.
Koraidon growled softly as it watched the two smaller and weaker Pokémon battling the enormous Titan and hating the fact that it couldn't assist. The beast closed its eyes and tried to concentrate and call upon its power, only for an agonizing tremor to wrack his body as crimson static crackled around him. Milo glanced over at the Pokémon and could sense its frustration as a soft snarl of pain escaped it. The teen suddenly realized what was going on and felt a pang of sympathy for his scaly friend as he realized how it must be feeling.
After all, Koraidon could have likely taken down the Titan with a single hit at its full-power. As it was right now, battle just wasn't an option for Koraidon, despite how much it wanted to help. Milo couldn't imagine how irritating it was for such a powerful and proud Pokémon to have to sit on the sidelines while others did the fighting.
Milo turned his attention back to the fight, and to his horror saw that Titan Klawf was focusing on Arven. It continued slamming its claws into the ground as Arven sprinted hard to avoid the strikes, holding Barbossa as the Shellder shot blasts of water to try and repulse the big meaty claws of Klawf.
"It's alright bud, we've got this. Cocoa, get ready for a Mud Shot!" Milo called as Titan Klawf let out a furious hiss and lunged forward, slamming another claw down where Arven was running. Thankfully the teen had quick enough reflexes to continue dodging with Barbossa, but Milo knew that he would tire sooner or later.
"That Klawf is slowing down too. Even after getting a snack of Herba Mystica, Cocoa did some major damage to it. There's no way it has more than another hit or two left!" Milo thought as he considered the Titan carefully.
"Giaaasss…" Koraidon snarled, padding forward and joining Cocoa on the battlefield. An action that made Milo immediately concerned, and caused Arven to scowl with annoyance despite the high-stakes situation.
"Koraidon?" Milo questioned, raising an eyebrow as Koraidon's tail snaked out, wrapping around a smiling Cocoa as Koraidon growled something to the Wooper. To Milo's further confusion, the Wooper smiled even wider and nodded in understanding at whatever the beast had said.
"What the hell is the brute doing?" Arven asked after dodge-rolling again, tiredly pushing himself upright as Barbossa repulsed another angry claw with Water Gun.
Milo watched on in confusion as Koraidon eyed Titan Klawf with narrowed eyes before grunting softly. Koraidon suddenly spun around, letting out a snarl as it jumped and then swept out its tail, releasing Cocoa and sending the Paldean Wooper flying into the sky.
Cocoa let out a cry of surprise as it flew roughly a hundred feet into the air. Koraidon landed on the ground and then let out a loud snarl, causing a determined gleam to appear in Cocoa's eyes. Milo's jaw dropped in shock at the sudden development…and then he understood what Koraidon did as Cocoa began to fall back towards earth, directly above the unsuspecting Titan Klawf.
"Koraidon got Cocoa into a position to attack from above!" Milo realized with a sudden grin. He then gave the order, "Now Cocoa! Mud Shot!"
"Woooopa!" Cocoa cried out as she opened her mouth wide, releasing a torrent of mud globules that rained down upon the exposed back of Titan Klawf, who wasn't expecting the sudden attack from above as it was focused on Arven and Barbossa below.
Titan Klawf let out a bellow of agony as Cocoa bombarded it from above with Mud Shot, with the enormous Pokémon writhing as the attack struck it atop its head. Making matters worse for the Titan Pokémon was the fact that it was moving around in a vain attempt to dodge the attack it couldn't see, allowing the airborne Cocoa to strike more parts of the giant crab.
Finally Titan Klawf shuddered and its front legs buckled, causing its head to crash down onto the ground violently. The Titan let out a bellow of pain as it pushed itself up, only to overcompensate and end up flopping down on top of its back with an almighty thud.
Arven let out a loud whoop of excitement, while Milo ran forward and managed to catch his Paldean Wooper in his arms, causing the teen to let out a relieved sigh.
"Woopa!" Cocoa cried out happily as Titan Klawf twitched on the ground behind it, squiggles in its eyes as it finally fainted. Milo simply stared at Koraidon and then his Wooper, and then took a few moments to process that they had actually done it.
Milo and Arven were victorious in taking down Klawf, the Stony Cliff Titan.
The Nuzlocke Curse released its pressure from Milo, who gasped with relief before stepping forward and pulling his Wooper into a hug. Thankfully for Milo, Cocoa's Terastal form had dissipated while she was falling.
"That was awesome Cocoa! You were such a little badass!" Milo gushed as he held out the Wooper, who simply smiled back at him. Koraidon let out a happy snarl, and Milo looked at the beast with a grin. "And you! That was a brilliant move there, big guy. Guess you learned a thing or two from those training videos with me and Nemona, huh?"
Koraidon puffed out its chest proudly and sat down, nodding in response with a big smile. Milo laughed and walked over to Koraidon, hugging the draconic mount and thanking him again for its help. Meanwhile Arven was staring at Titan Klawf with an expression of wonder.
"We really did it…the Titan got beat. By us. Me and Milo." Arven whispered in a dazed voice, a weak smile on his face, his eyes watering as he was almost overcome by emotion. "And the Herba Mystica…t-there's a chance. There's a chance I can-"
"Huh? Reggie, I didn't call you out."
Arven turned around and saw that Milo was looking at his Starter with a confused expression. The Fuecoco himself looked confused, staring up at his Trainer with bewilderment. The Fire Croc Pokémon growled softly, putting a hand to his chin.
And then Reggie began to glow.
Milo's Current Party:
Reggie (Fuecoco?) M - Tera Fire
Cocoa (P. Wooper) F - Tera Ground
Shelly (Shellder) F - Tera Fighting
Storm (Wattrel) F - Tera Flying
Fiona (Flittle) F - Tera Grass
Benched/PC Storage:
Echo (Toxel) F - Tera Ice (Overleveled for Objective #2)
Fleur (Steenee) F - Tera Dark (Overleveled for Objective #2)
Graveyard:
Sparky (Pawmi) M - Tera Electric
Pepper (Maschiff) F - Tera Poison
That's all for now! Next chapter, we have the fallout from the Titan battle and an update from Professor Sada!
As an aside, I'll be bringing back a thing I started in Pokémon Radiant Sun where I answer questions that I get when readers submit reviews for the story. If you've got a question about the story, then feel free to ask your question in the review section below!
Q & A
From: General C
On the topic of Radiant Sun, though, I've got a question regarding that little voice in Milo's head: Is it in any way related to a certain Helioisk who befriended a certain Violinist?
That's a big spoiler for something much later in the story, so that's tough for me to answer directly. However, you'll probably get an answer to that question sooner from Radiant Sun's next few updates before Ancient Scarlet broaches that subject.
Gotta give a big ol' shoutout to my reviewers since the last update, which includes BraviaryScout and DaGuest, as well as two new reviewers known as WyldClaw and General C! Big thanks also go to LMT-2730162037 for following the story. Thanks so much for your feedback and support, you legends!
If you enjoyed the chapter, please show your support with a favorite and/or follow and leave your thoughts in the review section below. I also cross-post on AO3 if that's more your speed. You can also join the Discord channel for my fics if you PM on this site.
Take care and stay awesome!
Until next time, FlygonNick out!